Within President Donald Trump’s first few weeks in office, he signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” — the culmination of years of conservative resistance to teaching challenging parts of U.S. history.
Republican-controlled legislatures across the country have spent recent years requiring schools to remove mentions of race, sexuality, and more, with some textbook companies following their lead.
But now, with federal executive actions aimed at adjusting the social acceptability of controversial topics in schools, Philadelphia history and government teachers are faced with a difficult question: How do you teach history when the curriculum is erasing it?
For educators like Bruce Franchi, a MaST Community Charter School AP Government and Economics teacher, these changes create a difficult balancing act. Sticking to the official curriculum may mean leaving out critical historical context, but addressing omitted topics could risk backlash.
For example, the landmark case that granted a constitutional right to an abortion, Roe v. Wade, was removed from the AP Government & Economics curriculum in 2022. Yet Franchi decided to still teach his students about the court case, because its content is vital to fully comprehending the course, he said.
“I do feel the need to tread more carefully when broaching certain topics,” Franchi said. “I think I’ve found an appropriate balance in presenting it to my students, but I have also wondered how I might respond if a parent took umbrage with my decisions.”
His experience reflects a broader challenge faced by educators across the city and country who must navigate an increasingly politicized education system while trying to give students a full and accurate understanding of the past. The only way that these educators can ensure that their students receive a well-rounded education that complies with federal regulations is to either change the way they teach or completely omit controversial topics.
In 2023, Florida changed its social studies curriculum to include new African American history standards, which upset some educators because teachers were now told to instruct students that enslaved people gained useful skills from their experience. That same year, Florida officials told schools they couldn’t teach certain topics about gender and sexuality in AP Psychology, which led some districts to stop offering the course altogether.
This is worrisome to teachers like Erin Conboy, an AP Psychology teacher at MaST Community Charter School. She is concerned that these curriculum changes will limit students and their growth.
“As states assume their rights and pass mandates surrounding education, they are greatly impacting students’ rightful access to well-rounded education,” Conboy said. “It is a shame that politicians with no background in education are forcing their political agenda on schools and teachers, especially amid the educator shortage across the nation.”
Conservative pushback
For the Trump administration and some conservative groups advocating for the changes, revising curriculum to exclude certain controversial topics is necessary to ensure a more traditional education.
However, the administration’s approach has caused concern for educators due to its aggressiveness, said Tim Patterson, an associate professor at Temple University.
“What is new here is the extreme to which the executive branch seems to be trying to go to enforce its vision of parochial schooling from kindergarten through university,” said Patterson, who studies social studies education. “So it’s a real test of the constitutional structures that we have taken for granted.”
Book bans have added another layer of difficulty to curriculum shifts, further restricting teachers’ ability to provide well-rounded instruction.
According to a report from PEN America, a nonprofit organization created to advocate for the protection of free expression, book bans have increased significantly in recent years. Many teachers find themselves unsure of what they are allowed to teach, fearing backlash for including books that discuss topics such as race or gender.
This climate of uncertainty makes it even harder to implement curriculum changes, as teachers are forced to navigate both new academic requirements and external censorship pressures. These additional restrictions can make an already difficult job even more stressful for educators.
Teacher turnover
As schools face these growing challenges, the rate of teacher turnover continues to rise. A study by the nonpartisan research organization RAND found that nearly one in four teachers considered leaving the profession in 2022, a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels. Many cited restrictive policies, including curriculum changes and book bans, as major stressors, according to RAND’s survey, which asked teachers about their well-being and intentions to leave the profession.
Teachers who feel they must censor their lessons or avoid certain historical discussions report lower job satisfaction and higher levels of burnout, according to RAND. Many educators enter the field to inspire critical thinking and intellectual curiosity, but when these core aspects of their profession are stifled, their motivation dwindles.
“Attempts are being made to rewrite the history that we should be deeply reflecting on in the current state of the world,” Conboy at MaST Community Charter School said. “A lack of access to resources and materials regarding inclusive curricula is harmful to our students — your children — and their education.”